Do you remember what you were thinking on your first climb? Did you actually trust the gear? What did you think when you turned around at the top and looked out at the view (if your first time was not in a gym)?

I remember my first climb quite clearly. Friend of mine that I trust tells me to relax and just trust the equipment. I comply, on quivering legs, moving over the edge of the cliff and getting myself lowered to the bottom of the cliff, right above freezing cold water. Im beyoynd the point of no return, I either climb 15m up or swim 25m to the left in order to get away from that ledge. I then look up, and tries to understand how on earth I am going to get myself up again. Halfway up the wall I pause to admire the view and feel great having some troubles but coping, after that all i remember is the pain) due to borrowed and too small shoes) When I finally got to the top I thought that there had to be better routes for beginners than that. My friend agreed but also told me that having coped with this I would be fine trying out normal beginners routes... A pretty straightforward way to start climbing, but it sure helped me getting over the "this does not work" thoughts I had

Man, my first outdoor climb was on a TR in this wild off-width 5.8 crack, and I got so scared! Just freaked out. I pushed through it and later in the day, I TR'd a 5.9 handcrack and a 5.10 lieback, which was sweet!

My first outdoor lead was on Crimson Chrysalis (trad), and I just remember thinking, please, please dont let the weight of all this gear pull me off the wall! LOL, we had so much gear for that climb!

The rush topping out on that monster was what hooked me for life on trad, though. It's so amazing to get to the top of the mountain using your own skills and gear placement. Such a rush!!!!

I will never forget my first multi-pitch climb. Consolation at Taquitz with Paul Addison (addroids) leading. It was my second climb on rock outside of the climbing class I had taken. Mind you that I am twice Pauls age, and not in as good of shape. I was belaying and hear him cursing about how he didn't remember it being this hard. That was OK the first time. At about the third pitch, I was thinking how nice it would be to be able to walk to my car right now. My mind was well bent by this point, not by fear but by knowing that there was no turning back. Could I make it past the next crux? I had to cheat a couple of times. When we finally made it to the top, It was "Oh my God, how beautiful".

Top Rope. About 15 or 20 feet. We were self taught (which is something I DO NOT recommend doing). It was scarey as hell and I'd say the route (if you can even call it that) was about a 5.2 or 5.3. It wasn't bad going up, just being lowered down. That was the scary part.

My friends, VERY good at this told me everything i needed to know and made me feel secure and confident.

I started very well thinking I gotta make it right!. When i got to the midde of the route i was kinda worried by the bees that were above. Then i started to think about the F#@g bees and started to loose focus. I started to feel scared just at 80% of the route.

Stress made me breath very bad so i couldn't stand anymore, i started to feel cold and insecure. My hands couldn't with the pain but the worst!: i started thinking oh my God, oh my God, what am i doing? i'm blewing up this, and then i had to lower without ending the route.

Thanks to my friends i felt secure enough to try but the route wasnt easy. A friend, very nice climber (only indoors) tried and when he reached the point where i lower, he was shaking! so, this made me feel a lot better!

My first real climb was at Pt. Dume, flashed the routes and never felt more amazing in my life. I don't know if it was the excitement, the adrenalin, the feeling of accomplishment...whatever it was it bit me hard and I've climbed nonstop over since. There's no feeling like it in the world.

I remember my first climb out side. It was a 10a that my very experienced friend put me on. Oh yeah and it was also a lead. Figure that one out. I didnt even really know how to tie off at the top. He just talked me thru the whole thing. It was one of the most scary things i have ever done. And the only reason i didnt fall on that climb at the time was...I didnt want to use the rope to support my body weight. Well thats all that i remember about my first climb... Oh yeah it was pocket puzzel in Queen creek AZ.

I was 14, the route was a 5.5, porobably about 20'. I had almost no trouble getting up, I couldn't beleive the view, but I half down climbed because I was so scared of being lowered. Then I asked for a harder route, so they put me on a 5.10 and laughed as I couldn't even reach the first hold and gave up.

I remember that I couldnt remember the name of the carabiners I was like "what are those funny lookin metal things with gates on the frount called again." also the first time I went climbing I (unproudly saies this) only cliped the bottom part of my harness instead of both parts, luckly Alan seen andtold me that I woulda ended up upsidedown, haha i think that woulda been funny

With my Boy Scout troop in Joshua Tree. It wasn't the climb that hooked me, because the climb was made so easy for everyone to do it. It was the rappelling down that got me. From a steep grade over a slight ledge, then 40 feet to the ground with the wall moving away from me. It seems like nothing now, but it was definitely enough at the time. I had to hide my apprehension, though (boy scouts is all about the pecking order).

First TR (The Eliminator, a 10c crack in the Wichitas) .. Too much struggling, pain and blood to "think" during the climb. It was a rush of trying to figure out "what next" before falling/flailing/doggin more. But, when I reached the top and breathed in the beauty of the landscape as I consoled my bleeding hands and burning forearms, I fell in love with the sport.

First Sport Lead (Oriental Express, 9 face at Erock) .. wow, this is cool. this is fun. At the top .. Shit, how do I set up a TR from here. (I had only read about untying to rap down .. doh.)

First Trad Lead (fear has erased the name and grade from memory) .. my thoughts were something like ... "why am I doing this, why am I doing this .. "

As for trusting the gear, it never crossed my mind on TR or sport. On my first trad lead, it was more about wanting an onsight than trusting gear, though I was very confident of my placements by the time I hopped on lead.

pinnacles national monument near san juan bautista, california. I didn't even have climbing shoes....I was on a top rope belayed from the top of the rock by someone I didn't even know. all i kept thinking was what the hell am i doing here??? I swore that if i made it alive i would never try something so stupid.....got to the top and then the feeling was awesome (until my belayer told me the only way back down was to rappel.....

first TR: a 5.9 in Logan Canyon (utah), I did it with a borrowed harness and hiking boots, and ust barely made it without falling. I was just like, "huh, this is interesting," and didn't climb for another year and a half.

first sport lead: no clue, probably some single digit short limestone climb in Logan Canyon as well.

first trad lead: 30 Seconds Over Potash, Wall Street, Moab (5.8+). I do not recall being that scared, as I just completely trusted my mentor. It was after five days of toproped crack at Indian Creek, so I was in pretty good shape, I guess. It was only later that I started getting scared on lead.

1st Indoor Climb TR First year at college, at noontime, some of my classmates draged me to the college climbing wall in the gym. We all bouldered on the wall for a bit. I loved it, and so did the others. I then came to climb during a regular tuesday climbing club night and did some roped in climbing. I remember that I only went up about 1/2 way through the 25 foot vertical wall, and got scared or tired, or both, and was lowered down.

1st Outdoor Climb At Rockwood Park, there is a 20' blasted rock face near a duck pond where people generally take beginners to climb. At the time, there were only 4 routes set with bolts for top-rop anchors and none of the routes were protectable (no leading). I got up my first outdoor climb the first try without falling (redpoint/flash). This was because of my 1yr experience indoors. I had never abseiled before. Generally at this blasted face, we would simply be lowered, or top out and walk around and climb again.

1st Abseil/rappel My absolute FIRST rappel was a good 6 months before I ever actually CLIMBED outdoors. It was October/November and very cold... nearing freezing. I had to hike 30mins uphill to get to the face with my buddy. I got on rappel, assumed the stance, and it literally took 10 minutes of my buddy coaxing me and me just trying to make my brain let me do it, to actually start rappeling. I did it and it was great. The face was totally vertical and it was all wet. ...6 months later... My friends would try and get me to rappel at Rockwood... but it was far too scarry for me. I still won't rappel there, the way that they were doing it. The way the anchors are, its hard to do. I found my own way to rappel each route there. Its just the starting that was scarry. Once you're goign down its really easy.

1st Indoor Lead It was at the college climbing wall. I decided to lead a 5.10/5.11 overhanging route. I didn't make it the whole way the first time, but got 2 of 5 clips in. In the same day, I eventually got to the top, but i had to put my foot over on a horizontal I-Beam on the wall to the right of the climb, so I could safely clip in, then i kept goign, clipping the last two draws. It was amazing. ** I can now lead this route fairly easily without fear and without cheating.

1st Outdoor Trad Lead My first outdoor lead was trad. The route was "It's A Way Of Life" 5.4 (G). There are lots of placements using all forms of protection. It is a left going flake. How did I feel on this? Well, I was leading it on a whim. I wanted to lead and I had the gear so I did it. I was clibming with a friend who climbs very infrequently, so I had to show him how to belay for a leader. I took it one step at a time, and made it to the top without falling or dogging the rope. It made me feel very good, very proud and on top of the world. My buddy was very impressed and said "dude, I would never have done that". Then I said, "Well, you ARE going to do that, but on top-rope. He has very little experience, but he managed to climb most if it with using his arm strength, mostly... since he had no climbing shoes, just worn out sneakers.

1st Outdoor Sport Lead My absoulte first outdoor sport lead was actually in Rockwood Park. I climbed a top-rope-only crack on limestone by clipping into the bolts about 4 feet to the right of this crack, which were there for a 5.10a sport route. My first REAL sport lead was that 5.10a 25' limestone face in Rockwood Park. I did it, im not sure if i dogged, but im sure i did at least twice. Now I can do it everytime without dogging. I was scared on both of those routes, but mostly the 5.10a. I did them and that's what counts.

I remember sucking up against the rock and remember my palms wouldn't stop sweating..I was on toprope on an easy route but was to scared to even think about falling..this lasted for about 1 year..Lot's of juice squezed from the rock...